Folding ladder



FOLDING LADDER Fiied Dec. 3o, 1922 .To all iti/hom t may concern:

'etented Sept. 4, l19,237.

@oN-iran sfr Eis vLouis 1i. erstens, or Mormon feriovs, imiivors;

' somme rmileeen.

Application led'Decem'bei 30,1922.. fSeriai-'Nd 609,853.

'Be itylriiown that I, Louis F'. Klfizeiiiiii, a citizen .or" t-lie United States, residing-at Morton Grove, inthe county oi Ceoleand State oit Illinois, haveinvented certain new land useful Improvements uin a oldingf Ladot' -ivli-ich the .itollovving is .a-fde'scripder, tion.

My `inventionrelates,to an improvement in a :folding ladder iaiidmore particularly to a ladder adapted for use While 'clean-ing ventiiators, ventilator parts, fiviiidovvsioi lights ofgreenho'uses 'or ythe like, painting,-

.repairing V:or ydoii'ijg other ivorkupon the Walls. r

@ne of the 'objectsgofilmy :invention is to provide afcol'lapsibleor oldingfladder coinprising a pair of ladder 'scctionsfhingod to- :gethe-rat their sidesyoiie ofthe sections be` .ing preferably vshorterthanthe other so that a ,passageway will alivays'fbe elearfbe'tiveen kt'hevaisles of `the Agreenheuse irrespective of whether the ladder-vis in *operative use or not. v

. 'iinother'obgect -`of my invention is to prof vvide a `movable platform `engageable between the.lad-der` sections `and upon 4which an voperator, vthefend 'of a scaffold, tools, cleaning -iiteiisils 'or other obiects maybe supported.

Another v'obje'ct of my invention is to pro- .Vide a platform which, Whenfinbperative use, vwill hold said ladders inthe desired re- "lation and prevent accidental-collapsing'or closing thereof and Which may-be moved entfo the Way so as to lie in a vertical plane and permit passageof a person up 'or down the-ladder.

-Y Another obi-ect foi-'my invention yto ,pro-

vide :aladder dof 4the tllii'fn'd describedr which :may be suspendedy from the rods or `vshafts oit 'the ventilator :mechanism which aregenerailly'adjacentthe roof oi' the `green house. ,Y f Another obj ect of myinvention `is to provide `a f ladder of 'the 4kind described, vwhich Will be compact, simple in construction and operation, 'dura-ble, and which maybe easily,v yconveniently:and quickly placed infoperativeposition or .removal ytherefrom and which shall-be satisfa-ctorilyiiand efficient for Yuse Whereverv found applicable.

@Many rother Vobjects .and advantages. of

i't-he construction herein shoivnan-d described will be obvious to those skilledin thejart rom the disclosures hereingiven; To this end my invention "eonsists'iii .the noi/*el construction, arrangement zombie nationfof, parts herein( showny and described, and more particularly pointed out in {the claimsi A n kthe Ydi:atv-ings wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts, .A Y t Y s l `is a :perspective .v-ieiv 'showing the .ladders in operative position-as susand i Y fiyis aseotional vieiv similar to that 'shown in Fig; 3, but vwith the` ladder sections foldedl together and the bucket/supporting platform in inoperative position.

.ll-n fthe drawings, wherein I have illustrated, for greenhouse or like use, the

.preferred embodiment of *my invention,

leindicates lthe benches or boxes which usually 'a'iiged on yopposite sides of Center f a e in vgreenhoiise or vthe like. VExtending substantially parallel; to

'the yaisle lint at finite an elevation there- 1 -Y l v aoove are shown the rods 2 and 2 itorm-V li fi-g 'a part of the operating mechanism for the ventilatorsand ywhich are arranged adjacent the roof of the greenhouse in in'o'st cases.` tis usually verydi'iii'cnlt to makeV vany repairs tothewindoivs, light-s yor to Vthe yventilator mechanism or" a greenhouse Vbef causefo-,the danger of injuring the greenhouse or. the plants` therebeloiv when Aarranging and Working with ladders in theanother 'objection is that Whenthe Work is beingg'done ythe-` 'aislesare blocked and passiigeitheretlirongh is prevented ivitli'thetypes of laddersivhich have heretofore-been used.

in order to overcome `this Ydiiii'ciilty aiidrto permit-ipass'age, leven though Work being Aperformed 'on the ventilators, 'or .other mechanism, I have provided a ladder ic'omprising )ityv of sections hinged" at theirsid-e edges, foii'efof said sections being preferably shorter than the other so "that when it is suspended. dovvniva-rdly .from the roof. of

kthe greenhousefit does not extend'zthe ffull distanee to the rflo'orf'so that' it .may beabove the aisle, and intvhich position'ffpassage thereunderispermitted n 1,466,757 PATENT or@sii-cos..

3 indicates one of the ladder` sections and 4 another ladder section, said sections hinged together at their sides rby means of hinges 5 and 6 arranged adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof.

It will be noted that the pin projecting downwardly from the upper hinge is longer than the pin projecting from lthe lower hinge so that when the sections are assembled the upper pin may be iirst seated in its coopera-ting hinge part, then the ladder section lowered slightly and the lower pin then dropped into its cooperating hinge part.

Any type of rungs may be used in the ladder sections, as for instance, the rectangular' rungs- 7 shown or of circular cross section like the lowest rung 8. Some of the rungs adjacent the upper end of the sections have been omitted for a purpose to be hereinafter described. n

Hooks 9 are carried by the upper end of the ladder section 3 so as to overlie the ventilator shaft 2 to suspend the ladder section 3 therefrom. A hook 10 is carried at the upper end of the outer side of the section 4 so that it may be hung upon the ventilator shaft 2', parallel to the ventilator shaft 2, in the manner shown. he hook 10 is preferablyy vertically adjustable and in the form shown has an elongated slot 11 therein with a series of offset notches 12 selec- 'the hanger 10. A nut or wing bolt 14 threadedly engages the free end of the bolt 18 beyond the hanger and is adjustable to move the uprights of the ladder toward one another as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

ln order vto hold the sections 3 and 4 in their operative position and prevent them from accidentally folding together, or opening too much, a platform 15 is hinged along one edge as at 16 to one of the sections, as for instance to the section 4. A portion of one of the side members of the section 4 is preferably cut away or recessed as at 17 so that when the platform 15 is swungrupwardly into inoperative position it will lie substantially flush with the section 4 so that the ladder sections maybe closed together or collapsed and occupy but slightly more space than the single ladder section 8. A

catch or latch member 18 may be provided on the section 4 to cooperate. with the platform 15 and hold it in its inoperative position, if so desired.

In order to reinforce the platform 15 so as to suspend a heavy loa-d, as for instance the weight vof the person who is repairing the ventilator, a plate 19 is arranged on the platform, said plate being preferably of met-al and secured to the platform in any desired manner as for instance by screws or the like (not shown), one end of said plate beine offset laterally as at 2O to form a hook to engage over an edge of one of the rungs Y and lock the sections to prevent the ladder sections from spreading when in operative position. Another reinforcing member comprising a bar 21 may be arranged at the hinged end of the platform 15, if so desired. The lower end of the laddersection 3 is arranged to engage the side edge ofthe benches 1, but in case the ceiling is too high for the ladder section 3, another ladder section 22 may be provided to cooperate with the ladder section 3 to form an extension ladder, said ladder section 22 being detachably suspended from the ladder section 3 by means ofhooks 23 or the like. It is obvious that when the ladder is in its open or operative position, the lower endI of the ladder section 4 will beat a sufficient height above the ground that an attendant may pass through the aisles. Y

rlhe platform 15 may be swung to its in operative position when the workman, who is to repair the ventilator, desires to pass the platform in ascending Aor descending the ladder. The platform may be used for a number of purposes, as for instance, to support the buckets of paint, water, or various tools, to support a workman directly thereon, or, if desired, a pair of the hinged ladders may be arranged in the greenhouse and one end of a scaffold or platform may be supported therebetween in a suitable manner. I have shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2 how the auxiliary ladder part may be adjusted at the upper end to lit different spao ings of rods.

It is obvious that a sheet of canvas, or the like, may be supported between a plurality of ladders in order that paint and tools may not accidentally drop upon the flowers therebelow.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departingv from the spirit of my invention; hence l do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

- Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure ing parallel thereto, a pair of ladders joined together so as to lie in different vertical planes, means for suspending one of said ladders from' said rodsso that it engages with the side edge of one or" said benches, the other of said ladders being shorter 'than said first mentioned ladder so as to permit passage under said shorter ladder through said aisle. l

3. In a. structure of the 4kind described and in combination, a pair of ladders of diiierent lengths connected together and adjustable angularly ofone another so as to lie in different vertical planes,and means for suspending the longer of said ladders from above.

4. In a structure of the kind described and in combination, a pair of ladders adjustable angularly of one-another so as to lie in-vertical different planes, and means Jfor suspending said ladders from above. n

Cil

5. In a structure of the kind described.

and in combination, a pair of ladders adjustable angularly of one another so as tok lie in Vvertical different planes, means for suspending one of said ladders from a rod thereabove, and means for suspending the other of said ladders from a rod extending substantially parallel to said first mentioned rod.

6. In a structure oithekind described and in combination, a pair of ladders pivot# ally connected together to 'turn on vertical axes, and a supporting platform hinged along one edge to one of said ladders and Fengageable at its free edge with the other of said ladders to prevent said ladders from accidentally closing together.

7. In "a structure of the kind described and in combinationJ a pairo'f ladders hinged together at their adjacent edges so as to turn on a common vertical axis, avplatform n hinged to one of said laddersl and engagea-ble With the other of said'ladders When said ladders are opened to a predetermined l angle, whereby accidental folding of said ladders toward one anotheris prevented.

8. In a structure of the kind described and in combination with a( longitudinally extending bench and a plurality of rods other vertical plane, and means for holding said ladders apart at a predetermined angle therebetween.

9. In combination `vvitha pair of longitudinally extending `benches having an aisle therebetween and `rods extending parallel to said benches thereabove, of a pair of ladder sections hinged Vtogether at one edge so as to lie indifferent vertical planes, one of said ladder sections being shorter than the other andadapted to be suspended'rom one of saidrods, the other of said sections adapted to be suspended from another of i said rods, and a movable platform carried by one of said sections and engageable with the otherto hold said sections apart at a predetermined angle therebetween but permit the passage of a person on said ladder past said platform When desired.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of .tivo subscribing Witnesses.

f LOUIS F. RIEMER.

Vitnesses: y Y l ROY W. Hirn, c RUTH M EPBLRAIM. 

